Carlsbad addresses 2018 housing element report

Corey
Funk, an associate planner for Carlsbad, reported to the City Council on March
12 the city has achieved 67 percent of its Housing
Element as required by the state.

However,
the percentage appears a bit skewed as the above-moderate-income housing is at
122 percent of its goal, while no new very-low-income housing was produced in
2018.

“Affordable
housing is a complex issue throughout California,” Funk said. “The city takes a
multi-faceted approach to the issue.”

The Regional
Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) numbers are produced by the state, which then
sends San Diego County’s requirements to the San Diego Association of
Governments, which then divides the housing stock between all municipalities in
the county.

RHNA is a
10-year forecast of housing needs throughout the state, which is then
redistributed to every jurisdiction, Funk said. State law also requires annual
reports to the state and SANDAG, while recent changes to state law calls for
reportable information throughout all phases of development including planning
applications received and approved and building permits issued.

The city’s
goals for the
RHNA target 912 units for very low income, 693 for low, 1,062 for moderate and
2,332 for above moderate. Only five low-income units were produced in 2018 and
included in the report, and Funk said those were accessory dwelling units. City
staff, however, estimates more than 400 are in the city, but do not meet the
requirements to offer affordable housing.

“Affordable
housing is something we took on in the early ‘90s,” Mayor Matt Hall said. “When
10 percent was a big number, we went to 15 percent. When you look at how much
housing we’ve built … we are second or third to the city of San Diego.”

Over the
10-year RHNA period, very-low-income housing totals just 42 units (5 percent)
followed by low at 223 (32 percent), moderate at 257 (24 percent) and 2,844 for
above-moderate. The city’s total target is 4,999 units.

Carlsbad
also requires developers to include 15 percent of its project as affordable
housing and has been pushing more recent projects to 20 percent.

Funk noted
several wins for the city in recent years including the Portola Senior and
Montecito apartments with a combined 157 units for low- and moderate-income
residents. Additionally, the Harding and Oak veterans housing projects will
increase those numbers, as will Pacific Wind, although the project was scaled
back from 93 units to 87 after resident complaints and a lawsuit.

Funk said
several other projects in the planning phase, such as Marja Acres and the
Aviara Apartments, will also help address the city’s affordable housing stock.

However, Debbie
Fountain, director of Housing and Neighborhood Services, said for the city to
meet its goals, it must subsidize future projects as higher density
developments alone will not meet those goals.

“We are
starting … to negotiate more with very low and extremely low income,” she said of
talks with developers to include those units. “We can’t get there with
density.”